Instagram Story safe zone

For video Stories, keep 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side clear. Drop in your Story to see what Instagram covers.

Top
Bottom
Left
Right
Safe area

Meta’s video guide. For photo Stories ads, Meta asks for less at the bottom: about 14%.

TikTok publishes no numbers: these are measured from its templates. Longer captions cover more.

Clear on all four apps at once: the widest band on each side.

The Instagram Story safe zone, in pixels

On a 1080 × 1920 video Story (9:16), keep these edges free of text, faces and logos:

Keep clear · On 1080 × 1920

EdgeKeep clearOn 1080 × 1920
Top14%269 px
Bottom35%672 px
Left6%65 px
Right6%65 px
Safe areathe middle950 × 979 px

These are Meta's current numbers for video Stories, the same as for Reels. For photo Stories ads, Meta asks for less: roughly 14% clear at the top and at the bottom.

What Instagram covers on a Story

  • Top: the progress bar, your profile picture and name, and the close button.
  • Bottom: the "Send message" reply bar, and the like and share buttons. On an ad, the "Sponsored" label and the ad's button sit low on the screen too.
  • Sides: nothing fixed, but people tap the left and right edges to skip back and forward, so keep words a little in from both.

Where the numbers come from

Meta's ad guide for video Stories says to keep about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free of text and key visuals. Its design guidance for photo Stories ads keeps about 14% clear at the top and bottom. Meta uses the same numbers for Stories on Instagram and Facebook. Checked in October 2026; look at your Story in the app's preview before you post.

Lyrics and text on a Story

  • Keep lyrics just above the middle. The reply bar and the ad button own the bottom.
  • Big, short lines. A Story moves on in seconds, and people tap through fast.
  • Leave room for stickers. If you add a poll, a link or a music sticker, place it inside the safe area too.

How to use the Story template

Download the template above: a 1080 × 1920 PNG with the covered bands in red and the safe area dashed. Put it on the top layer in your editor (CapCut, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Canva), scaled to fill the frame, and hide it before you export.

The other apps

The same tool covers the Instagram Reels safe zone, the TikTok safe zone and the YouTube Shorts safe zone. Posting one video everywhere? Pick All four above, or open the safe zone checker.

Lyric videos that stay inside the safe zone.

The zone on, then off: the words never leave it.

By hand

A template layer, and checking every video.

Clips

The zone is built in, for ads or Stories.

Questions

What is the Instagram Story safe zone?

The part of a Story that Instagram's profile line, reply bar and buttons never cover. For a 1080 × 1920 video Story, that's everything except 269 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom and 65 px on each side.

What size is an Instagram Story?

1080 × 1920 pixels, 9:16. Meta's video ad guide also accepts 1440 × 2560, the same shape.

Is the Story safe zone the same as the Reels safe zone?

For video, yes: Meta now gives the same numbers for both. Photo Stories ads need less room at the bottom, about 14%.

Does the Story safe zone apply on Facebook?

Yes. Meta gives the same guidance for Stories on Instagram and Facebook.

Is my video uploaded?

No. It's shown from your own computer, in this page, and never sent anywhere.

Sources

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